Day-long standoff in Lexington neighborhood ends when man is found dead, SC cops say

A standoff that began Saturday ended the following day when a man’s body was found inside a Lexington home, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said.

The man, who was having a mental health crisis and threatened to kill himself, had barricaded himself inside a home in the 100 block of Cherry Hall Drive, according to the Lexington Police Department. That’s within two blocks of East Main Street, near the Old Mill Brewpub.

Beginning at about 5 p.m. Saturday, law enforcement officers attempted to negotiate with the man, police said. The discussions went on for more than 24 hours before the Lexington Police Department’s Emergency Services Team made entry into the home, and discovered the man’s body, according to SLED.

The man died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher said.

SLED said its investigators have no information that any law enforcement officer fired any shots during the incident.

During the incident, police restricted access to the neighborhood, and some residents were asked to leave their homes. At about 8 p.m. Sunday, police reported all evacuated residents could return to their homes.

Information on what led up to the incident was not available, and there was no word how it was reported to police.

Lexington Police Chief Terrence Green asked SLED to lead an investigation into the incident and process the crime scene. SLED’s investigation is ongoing.

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

This story was originally published March 14, 2022 at 7:36 AM.

Noah Feit

The State

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Noah Feit is a Real Time reporter with The State focused on breaking news, public safety and trending news. The award-winning journalist has worked for multiple newspapers since starting his career in 1999. Support my work with a digital subscription